State OKs Mt. Holly chairlift after Birmingham schools ski trip lands three students in hospital

Mark Tibbitts, general manager of Mt. Holly Ski and Snowboard Resort in Groveland Township. Tibbitts is at lift 5 where three middle school skiiers fell off the chairlift Thursday. Wednesday, January 15, 2014. Tim Thompson-The Oakland Press

Birmingham schools have postponed a weekly outing to north Oakland’s Mount Holly after a ski club trip ultimately landed three students in the hospital with broken bones when they fell 25 feet from a chair lift.

The reason the kids fell remains in contention, as a state investigation recently revealed there was no problem with the ski resort’s lift, while school district officials argue that the students weren’t horsing around.

Mount Holly general manager Mark Tibbitts said a Monday investigation carried out by the commercial division of Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs gave the chair lift the green light.

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“We just wanted to quell the rumor that there was a problem ... the chair lift was found to be in compliance with all manufacturer, state and federal regulations,” said Tibbitts. “(The incident) is still under investigation by our staff, but the chair lift was determined not to be the cause.”

He declined to speculate what he thought happened leading up to the Jan. 9 accident.

The decision to postpone all of Birmingham schools’ weekly ski club gatherings came days after three Derby Middle School students fell from the ski lift — one suffered a broken arm, while the other two broke their wrists, said Marcia Wilkinson, spokeswoman for the Birmingham School District.

The middle school’s administration sent out emails to the families of kids in the snow sports clubs to inform them Thursday’s trip was canceled until further notice, she said.

“The biggest takeaway continues to be that the safety of our students is our No. 1 priority,” said Wilkinson.

She said that parents who were with the Derby ski club when the incident occurred said the students did not jump.

Less than 50 percent of Birmingham School District schools actually have ski and snowboard clubs, said Wilkinson.

The ski club at Derby Middle School meets at Mount Holly every Thursday, but this week, the trip has been put on hold. In the meantime, school officials are looking into other ski hills around the area for the clubs that usually went to Mount Holly to convene at.

However, nothing’s been confirmed yet, said Wilkinson.

Mount Holly is located on Dixie Highway near Tripp Road. Other ski and snowboard resorts in Oakland include Alpine Valley in White Lake Township — near Highland and Bogie Lake roads — and Pine Knob Ski Resort off Sashabaw Road in Clarkston.

Derby Middle School has been referring all media calls to Wilkinson.

About the Author

John Turk covers the police beat and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for The Oakland Press. He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University. Reach the author at john.turk@oakpress.com
or follow John on Twitter: @jrturk.